Announcing the BGA Green Lighting Guide by James Bedell

When it comes to theatrical lighting, we can all agree that gear is changing at an incredible rate. It feels like just a few years ago it would be impossible to consider LEDs for anything more than special effects. Yet today, multiple manufacturers have created LED profile and wash fixtures that are capable of stunning stage washes, pin spotting, and even beautiful warm front light. The days of energy efficient fixtures not being able to do the job of stage lighting are drawing to a close.

When it comes to moving toward a sustainable future, it’s hard to imagine a community more supportive that theatrical professionals. Whether it’s the green captains of Broadway shows, or scenic designers putting in the extra effort to make sure their set is built from found materials, across our community out of both ethos and necessity, we are conserving resources every day.

One of the biggest lessons the BGA has learned from it’s partnership with the NRDC is the concept that there is no green, only greener than the day before. It’s in that spirit that we decided to launch the greener lighting guide. Which of course, begs the question:

What is the Greener Lighting Guide?

Essentially the guide is a database. We believe that the road to greener choices starts with better information. The truth is not everyone in a position to make spending decisions can walk the floor at LDI. When the grant money comes into a regional theater, or when the dean decides it’s time to spend money on the theater department, we believe it’s that point of purchase that can make a tremendous impact on what gear is used in these institutions for years to come.

A database in and of itself isn’t useful unless it’s organized in a way that makes sense. Our goal with the design of the website was that it could work for both lighting people (lighting designers, master electricians and programmers) and non-lighting people, (artistic directors, company managers, technical directors) alike. So we organized the instruments in the guide by what type of light they produce.

When you click on one of the categories, you’ll find a typical or “standard” instrument, then a list of greener alternatives comes below. If that’s as far as you want to go, you can simply call your local dealer and ask to arrange a review of these instruments in your theater. If you want to know more, click on any listed instrument for detailed stats and links. All data is self-reported by the manufacturers, this is the fastest way to keep the database updated as manufacturers update their offerings. We couldn’t be more grateful to our launch partners, Chauvet, Robert Juliat, and GLP for helping us to populate the initial database. We’re adding new data every week, and we’ll be sure to announce updates on the BGA blog. In the meantime, we hope you’ll browse around and tell us what you think of the guide. We want to make this guide as valuable as possible for the theater community. We hope to hear from you soon.